Sickness
by MT Pocketts
Summary: Tenten gets a cold. what will Neji do to make her feel better? One shot, NejiXTen, lots of fluff.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters, no matter how much I wish I did.

**A/N:** I got a cold, and every time I'm sick I daydream about something like this, so enjoy!

Tenten sneezed for what felt like the millionth time that morning and she finally just sat down in an armchair in the living room. She got colds sometimes, and she usually went to train anyway, but she knew she wasn't going this time. Every once in awhile, a really bad cold would hit her just like this one.

She didn't know why, but sometimes when she had a cold it would make her dizzy anytime she tried to get up. If she ate it seemed to help, and so she always tried to be near the kitchen when it happened. So Tenten curled up on the couch and started a movie, ready to fall asleep as she watched it.

Outside her apartment stood an irritated Hyuuga Neji, who had come by to get her on the way to training. _'Tenten, we're going to be late,' _He thought as he walked up to the door and began to bang on it. There was no response, so he knocked again while yelling for her. Once again, there was silence. More annoyed this time, he activated byakuugan and looked for any traces of Tenten. When he thought he saw something, he rolled his eyes and began to unlock the door. Tenten had given him a key, learning that it was cheaper than replacing the door every time he barged in for some reason or other.

"Tenten, what are you doing?" He called out before walking into the living room and finding her asleep on the couch. She was curled up in the fetal position, snoring softly due to her stuffy nose. Neji frowned at her, thinking that she was just being lazy. He looked up at the TV and saw that she had been watching "The Princess Diaries." Tenten made a small noise and he looked back down at her, seeing that she had her blanket pulled tightly around her.

"Tenten," He said softly and placed a hand on her shoulder. She groaned in her sleep and pulled the blanket up closer around her shoulders. Neji frowned at her again, and felt her forehead. Tenten was warm, probably feverish. He looked around, noting the Kleenex littering the area. She obviously had a cold, but he'd seen her train when she was sick before. What was different this time? He shook his head and turned to leave, if she was asleep there wasn't much he could do to help her now anyway.

At the training area… 

Neji arrived, later than the other two for once. They watched him come up suspiciously, and he remained as emotionless as ever. "Tenten won't be here today, she's sick."

"Really? Oh, our poor youthful flower!" Gai put a fist to his heart in sympathy. Lee naturally mimicked the action, and Neji sweat-dropped.

"We should send her flowers and a card!" Lee exclaimed suddenly.

"Great idea, Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!" As the two embraced and rode off into the sunset on the back of a turtle, Neji chose to go do something else. As he was walking home, his feet seemed to take him along a different course. He looked up as he passed the grocery store, and decided to go in. The aisles were quiet, like no one was around that day.

"Neji?" A voice asked and he turned around to see Ino. "Why are you here?"

"Hn," Was his response, remaining as impassive as always. Ino merely shrugged and walked past him so she could continue shopping.

"Oh, I heard Tenten caught a cold. She looked pretty stuffy the other day," Ino commented but Neji stopped her before she could keep shopping.

"I want to help her…Somehow," He said.

"Chicken soup is always nice," Ino smirked at him.

"That's it?"

"Well, that's all most people would do other than maybe check up on them once in awhile."

"Hn."

"If you wanted to really help, I bet she needs more tissues," Ino said and he let her go with a nod.

"Thanks," He said quickly and went to the aisles for soup and tissue. Ino smiled as she left, thinking that Tenten was probably about to have a very good day, cold and all.

Neji went down the Kleenex aisle, trying to decide which tissues she would need. _'God, why does this matter so much all of a sudden?'_ He thought, but then saw a box that claimed to have lotion. Remembering his cousin's red noses whenever they had colds, he quickly grabbed the box. As he went to leave, he passed something that caught his eye. With a smile, he grabbed it and checked out of the store.

Back in Tenten's apartment… 

She had really grown to hate being sick. It made her feel so weak. She couldn't think straight, and couldn't do much of anything. All she really did now was change the movies she was watching and go to the kitchen every once in awhile for something to drink. Not being able to do anything, it made her feel so helpless and she wanted to be anything but helpless.

There was a knock at the door. She thought about getting up and answering it, but she was just too tired so she waited for them to go away. When the knock came again she groaned, this one was a little too persistent for her liking.

"Tenten, I know you're in there," A voice said.

"Who is it?" She managed to squeak out just loud enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear.

"Neji," Was the answer.

"You've got a key, let yourself in," She growled at having been bothered, he could have let himself in. Then again, he was too polite for that, having no excuse to barge in this time. Tenten watched fromthe couchas he came in carrying a few bags of groceries. "What's all that for."

"You," He pulled out the Kleenex box and tossed it to her gently. Tenten blinked in surprise, she had just run out of tissue. She looked down at the box, and then realized it was the kind with lotion. Tenten smiled happily and hugged the box (yes, her nose was that sore).

"Thank you Neji!" She squealed. Neji just smirked back at her and went into the kitchen. Tenten turned back to her movie, though she was more curious about what Neji was doing in the kitchen.

When he finally came out, he was holding a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup. Neji set up a little table on her lap and gave her the soup. Tenten said her thanks again and ate carefully. It had been so long since anyone had taken care of her when she was sick. As she was eating, Neji just sat on the couch near her and watched the movie with her. He was thankful she'd changed it to Kill Bill, this was at least something he could sit through and enjoy with her.

"Are you done?" He noticed when she had stopped eating. She nodded and he took her bowl into the kitchen. She couldn't help but feel a little suspicious, why was he suddenly taking care of her? He'd never been this nice before.

"Neji?" She said while he was in the kitchen.

"Hn?" Was all he responded with.

"Why are you doing this?… Taking care of me…I mean, it's really nice of you but," Tenten chose her words carefully. "It just doesn't really seem like you."

She looked up when he came back into the room and sat on the couch. She watched him carefully, until he finally glared back at her. She panicked and turned back to the movie instead.

"I just remember being sick. I always hated it," He admitted. Tenten glanced at him, noting that he looked as emotionless as always. But, they seemed to feel the same way about being sick. Tenten yawned and sank back further into her seat, eyes half closed. Before she knew it, Neji was sitting right in front of her. He put a hand to her forehead, and then lowered it to cup her cheek. For a minute she thought he was going to kiss her but the look on his face suggested otherwise.

"What?" She asked.

"You're tired."

"Of course I'm tired, I'm sick," She answered. Before he could say anything else, there was a knock at the doorbell. Neji went to get it, since he was blocking her into her seat anyway.

"Um, Tenten," Neji said from the front door. She turned to look and her mouth fell open. Apparently, Gai and Lee had gone out to find the most youthful flowers they could for Tenten. Neji walked in holding the chosen bouquet, which had the brightest colors of the rainbow in it. He set it on a shelf, and it looked like the main light source of the room because it was so bright.

"Do you want the card?" Neji held out a green envelope with her name written on it, and Tenten took it. The card was a big green turtle that had 'Get Well Soon' written on it's shell. On the inside, both Lee and Gai had written long paragraphs about the magic of youth helping her through this illness.

"Well, that was nice…" Tenten put the card down and yawned again.

"You should take a nap," Neji said.

"Fine," Tenten said and curled up on the couch.

"Don't you want to sleep in your bed?"

"No, then I'd have to walk there."

"….?"

"Look, I get two kinds of colds," Tenten began to explain. "There's the normal kind, when I can still train and do everything except I'll sneeze and cough some. Then there's this one, where I get lightheaded if I don't eat regularly enough. So I try to stay near the kitchen."

With that said, Tenten closed her eyes and was nearly asleep when Neji spoke up again.

"Tenten?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you be more comfortable in your bed?" He asked and she opened one eye to look at him, only finding that he was as impossible to read as always.

"I guess."

"Then it can be helped," He said and picked her up bridal style. She felt her head spin with the sudden movement and grabbed onto Neji as he carried her into her room. He set her on the bed gently and pulled the sheets up around her. "And I have one more things for you," He said and left the room.

'This is so…Not like him… Or is it?' She was thinking. Then he came back holding something. Tenten slowly realized that it was a brand new teddy bear and smiled softly. Neji slipped it into her arms and kissed her on the forehead.

"What was that for?" She blurted out.

"Well, uh…" Neji started and Tenten couldn't quite tell in this light but it seemed like he'd turned red. "My Aunt, when she was around she took care of all of us when we were sick just like this. She would give us our favorite toy, tuck us in and kiss our foreheads. I didn't know if you had one so I just got you one."

"Thanks, Neji," Tenten smiled and closed her eyes.

"Sleep well," He said and started to close the door behind him.

"Wait Neji," She said and he stopped, listening. "Would you mind sticking around? I just…I could use the company…"

"Sure thing, sweet dreams," He said and closed the door, both of them smiling.


End file.
